Plane Conversations

Sasquatch! Music Festival is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It is presented by the House of Blues. There is an emphasis on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, although there are also alternative rock, hip hop and comedy acts. The festival features four separate stages (Sasquatch! Main Stage, Bigfoot Stage, Rumpus Room, & Yeti Stage). (Wikipedia).  The 2012 event will be held on Memorial day weekend: May 25-May 29.  The line up will be announced February 2, 2012

The Gorge Amphitheatre is a 20,000+ seat concert venue, located above the Columbia River in George, Washington. It offers lawn-terrace seating and concert-friendly weather.

Administered by Live Nation, it is considered one of the premier and most scenic concert locations not just in North America, but the world. The venue has been a host to big name performers like The Who, David Bowie, Coldplay, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and Phish. The venue offers sweeping and majestic views of the Columbia River, as well as extreme eastern Kittitas County and extreme western Grant County. It is also known for its spectacular views of the Columbia gorge canyon.

The Gorge is well over 3 hours away from Seattle or Spokane by car and absolutely no non-stop commercial service anywhere closer.  In order to attend a concert at the Gorge from anywhere, outside of driving distance, would cost quadruple the airfare because you will need to rent a car for a week, you will need to stay at a hotel for two extra nights and you will lose one or two days of work traveling.  This place is seriously hard to get to.

Social Flights can deliver you and your friends within miles of The Gorge for your concert.  Our private jets can pick you and your group up wherever you live in North America, and then wisk you back to your home on any day you choose.  The flight itself will be beautiful as you pass over the Rockies or the Cascade Mountain Ranges.  Or, you’ll follow the Pacific Coastline then cross the  amazing colors through South Eastern Washington.  Add to the the spectacular sunset and lightshow and you are in for an unforgettable event.

General admission tickets are about $250.00 for the 4 day event.  However VIP accommodations can range from $1000.00 up to $5000.000 per pair with pristine views and luxury tent.  Let Social Flights help you celebrate the music event of a lifetime in one of the most beautiful venues in the world.

Recently I was talking with a friend about business flying.  He is not in business nor is he a pilot.  But he had trouble getting around the notion that business aircraft are all about excessive luxury for the super-wealthy.  I commented that there might be some merit to his claim if the majority of business aircraft owners were all super wealthy individuals.  But they aren’t.  This opinion also belies a scarcity mentality that assumes if someone “has” then it is because they have taken it from someone who, as a result, “has not”.  Funny, but we forget that the vast majority of the world lives on less than 2$ per day and considers anyone who has an automobile to be “rich”.  Perspective and assumptions are often overlooked in these discussions.   Personally,  I reject the idea of a closed economic system and the resulting scarcity mentality that accompanies it.  But, alas, I digress.

Yes there are aircraft owned by the super-wealthy who utilize them mainly for pleasure.  But that is the exception (as well as their prerogative, by the way.)  However, according to a 2009 study from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) small businesses own the majority of business aircraft.  Less than 1 in 4 passengers on business planes are top level leadership.  More often, 70% of the time, business aircraft are used to transport mid-level mangers, sales, support and technical staff. 1  The image of the aircraft being utilized only by the CEO or COO as a luxury is simply not factual.

The practical uses of business aircraft are many.  You can more efficiently fly into airports not serviced by the airlines and reduce the expense of hotel stays and car rental.  Employees can work during the flight and not waste precious time standing in line at security or waiting for standby flights because their original flight was cancelled.  Those travelling on business aircraft said that they felt 20% more productive on the plane than in the office and felt that on the airlines they were at least 40% less effective.2

The larger businesses that operated corporate aircraft are reguarly among the most profitable (which means, in turn, they are able to hire and employ) and respected in our country.  NEXA Advisors, LLC, conducted a study to see if business aircraft ownership actually had a correlative effect on the health of the business operating the aircraft.  In short, yes, it did.  It made a solid positive difference in these companies.  The report’s conclusion was, “Business airplane users continue to outperform nonusers in terms of revenue growth, profit growth, and asset efficiency.” 3

Moreover, what is lost in the grandstanding on Capitol Hill and the media’s constant badgering of Business Aviation is how much business aviation contributes to our economy and to the success of companies that employ tens of thousands. Aviation and it’s related businesses directly employ more than 1.2 million people and infuse $150 billion into the economy.  Aviation is a signficant contributor to our nation’s health.4

The businesses operating their own aircraft were to be found on lists such as : Business Week’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fortune’s 50 Most Admired Companies, Business Week’s 25 Best Customer Service Companies, Fortune’s 50 World’s Most Admired Companies, and Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens.5  Again, the caricature of the business jet operator is found to be just that -a caricature that does not accurately represent reality.

Without a doubt business aircraft have a degree of luxury about them.  And why not?  Do you chastise someone for having leather seats in their car?  An .mp3 player?  Satellite radio?  GPS?  But those things are pretty standard these days in our cars.  Perhaps one of the major issues is that business aviation stands in stark contrast to the miserable state of the commercial airline experience that we all know only too well.  If you had the choice of driving in a 76 Plymouth or a 2011 MKZ, would you really have to think long about the choice? (And for the record I drive a decade-old Ford Taurus with 140,000+ miles)  If it’s your car or boat or plane, why not make it comfortable and functional?  But at the end of the day, that’s not the point as my friend’s faulty assumptions illustrate.

Most businesses don’t operate aircraft because they simply like the luxury.  They operate them because they make practical and financial sense.  They don’t buy an aircraft so they can look cool and yet lose money.  No, they have learned that business aviation can make good business sense.  And the business aviation industry stands ready to be an integral part of the equation to help individuals and business achieve the success that, in the end, makes us all stronger.

1.  Real World Business Aviation 2009, page 5 (http://www.nbaa.org/business-aviation/Real-World-of-Business-Aviation-2009.pdf)
2. IBID, page 6
3.  The Bizav Advantage: The case for bizav, in dollars and cents Robert P. Mark, Business Jet Traveler, Oct 1, 2010
4. Aviation Week, Kansans Demand Obama End BizAv Rhetoric, July 22, 2011
5. IBID, Mark

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by Chris Findley, Aircraft Sales Specialist, CFM

It’s about time for our family to replace one of our cars.  I don’t relish the process, but I enjoy the results.  As we start to look at what’s available and for what price, we also begin examining things such as fuel efficiency, safety, maintenance and seating.  Of course, I also want a car that offers a nice driving experience.  Frankly, the more it reminds me of an aircraft, the better!

When we’re searching for the right car, we take into account a number of factors.  The same should hold true when we examine potential aircraft.  And like cars, there’s always a buzz from our friends or from slick advertisers that bring certain models to mind.  But because an aircraft works for Company A doesn’t mean in any way that it would be a good fit for Company B.  Just because there’s a really great ad that makes an aircraft look great and fun, doesn’t mean that it would be a realistically viable option for you.

So what are some the things to consider as you shop for a new or used aircraft?  This list is a summary and eventually you’ll drill down into more and more specificity, but this will help you begin the process:

• First of all, what are your travel needs?  Where do you need to go?  How often do you fly and how much is that currently costing you in terms of both direct travel cost (tickets/charter etc.) and indirect cost (lost productivity,  per diem, lodging etc.)   Try to establish whether you need an aircraft that will take you on repeated short trips or regular transcontinental trips.
• Secondly, and related to the first, how many people do you need to carry on a regular basis?  If 85% of your flights involve less than 4 people, you might not need to invest in the acquisition and operational costs of a 10 seat jet.
• Third, decide on what features are essential and what would just be “nice to have”.  Is a stand-up cabin a requirement?  Cruise altitude? What type of toilet facilities?  What size door and seating arrangement are preferred?  It’s important to work through these early so that you can focus on aircraft in your search that truly fit the parameters you want in your next aircraft.
• The fourth consideration is very important and that is performance.  Many people focus on range.  That is, “How far can this airplane take me on a single leg?”  But this is only a partial indicator of performance and is dependent upon things such as prevailing winds, air traffic delays and atmospheric conditions.  You’ll also want to consider speed.   For short hauls (say under 500 miles), a jet may not give you much of an advantage in speed/time over a nice turboprop.  Keep in mind too, that aircraft tend to perform less efficiently in high elevations on hot days.  So it is vitally important to examine the field elevations, weather patterns, and runway lengths from which you will operate your plane.
• Finally, after reviewing your basic needs, passenger requirements, features needed/desired and performance, consider the basic cost of the available aircraft that seem to generally fit this mold.  At this point, you are not getting too specific, but in a basic sense, what are the costs of the aircraft that can do what you desire.  Be sure to go past acquisition cost and consider operational, maintenance, and training costs.  Purchase price is a “one-time” cost while operating costs occur every time you start the engines.  As your search becomes more specific and starts focusing in on particular planes, you can work with your broker to develop a comprehensive picture of the likely annual cost of the aircraft.

It’s exciting to be in the market for a new or used aircraft.  But it is important to find the right airplane that fits your operational needs and makes solid financial sense.  If we can be of any assistance to you in this process feel free to contact us at CFM: 615-669-9393 or sales@cfmjet.com

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This post first appeared on 4.26.11 in CS&A Insurance blog – Clear on Top

How do we determine is something is dangerous?  Is there a universally known definition or just a matter of opinion?  Webster defines the term as follows:

dan·ger·ous – adj – able or likely to inflict injury or harm

If we stop and think about the literal definition of dangerous, we realize that it applies to most things in our life.  We start off each day with dangerous acts…shaving, taking a shower, cooking breakfast, driving to work…all of which have the ability to inflict injury or harm.   How many of us have cut ourselves when shaving?  How about burned yourself while cooking?  And what about having an accident in a car?   The generally accepted odds are that 1 in 4 people will be involved in a serious car accident in their lifetime.  Let’s take that a step further, based on the average number of automobile trips made by Americans in their lifetime the odds of being killed in an accident are 1 in 140.  Driving is the most dangerous activity undertaken by most Americans on a daily basis and very little thought is given to the dangers encountered because it is just a routine part of life.

Why does the general public view flying as being dangerous?  Any time we cheat the laws of gravity we are entering into a “dangerous” scenario by definition; but is it really dangerous, or is it just different?  According to the National Safety Council, the odds of being killed in a plane crash are about 1 in 250,000.  In comparing these statistics you are 1,786 times more likely to die in a car than in a plane…in other words you are more likely to die on the way to the airport than in flight to your destination.

So what is it that is driving this dangerous view of flying?  In short, lack of education and the media.  This is a funny combination in my mind because the media is supposed to educate, but often times they are just as uneducated as the masses to which they are pontificating.  How does a blind man know what color the sky is?  He trusts the person describing it to him, even if that person is colorblind.  In absence of knowledge we tend to believe whatever sounds the most accurate.  So without further ado I give you some media quotes concerning recent flying scenarios making headlines.

“The Monday night close call, left Obama’s jet 2.94 miles away from slamming into the 200-ton C-17 plane…” – New York Post

This is what is known in the aviation world as a “go around”.  It happens on a daily basis and exists for just such an occasion.  When the required separation cannot be maintained or does not exist, the controllers direct the pilots to break off the approach and send them around to try it again.  Let’s put this in perspective just to give you an idea how far 2.94 miles is…try 15,500 feet.  This is a greater distance than all those aircraft that pass over your house on approach to landing if you live within 30 miles of a major airport.   If their landing lights are on when they fly over your house at night, they are probably below 10,000 feet and only 1.89 miles away from slamming into your house.

“The pilots landed their planes safely but without help from the airport tower.”  – ABC News

“Planes forced to land without help from tower at Reagan Natl” – America’s Newsroom     

News flash…the tower does not and cannot help a pilot land an airplane.  The tower can only give direction and recommendation just like the traffic cop at an intersection.  Pilots land without help from the tower thousands of times every day…it’s how we were trained from Day 1.

Let’s face it, flying is still a widely misunderstood activity and as long as there are reporters there will be inaccurate news reports.  As pilots, we are a relative minority and the understanding of flight is still a wondrous mystery to most.  The how’s, why’s, and what if’s are the stuff of Hollywood legend.  Entire movies have been made around the fear of flying and the perceived dangers that they instill are numerous.  Aviation activities still draw front page news, from the airshow to the accident and the engine failure to the ATC actions.  Is flying dangerous?  Yes.  Is it more so than other daily activities?  No.  It is up to us as pilots, air traffic controllers, and all other aviation support personnel to do all we can to operate as safely as possible and calm the fears of the general public.

Be professional, train appropriately, and be personable.  Just because we can fly does not mean we are above anyone else.

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In a recent post I commented on the study that claims delays in the airline industry costs US travelers 33 billion dollars a year in lost productivity.

Yesterday I made a small contribution to the 33 billion of lost productivity on a flight from New York back home to Nashville.

One of my business partners and I had business in Danbury and Norwalk Connecticut over a two day period. In putting the trip itinerary together it made sense to fly into New York (LGA) on Southwest, rent a car, do the multiple meetings, and then fly home the morning of the third day.

The day started with a 7am departure from the hotel in Norwalk with about a 50 mile drive to LaGuardia. We left early to avoid the worst of traffic coming into the city. The traffic was not too bad so we got to the rental car drop off at 9am and ended up at the terminal and clearing through security by 945am.   

The flight, scheduled to depart at 1135, ended up being 30 minutes late on the inbound arrival due to weather in the NY area. The weather was just some light rain and cloud cover. Nothing major, but IFR conditions nonetheless.

After boarding, the aircraft pulled way from the gate and got in line for a 45 minute wait for departure. More delay due to IFR spacing issues for landing and departing traffic.

We had to connect in Baltimore with a plane change but missed the connection due to late arrival. There was another flight to Nashville departing 40 minutes after our arrival so we rushed over to that departure gate to find out the flight was oversold. We were then put on standby for a fully booked flight 2 hours later. Reduced capacity in the airline system translates to high load factors and profit for the airlines but major inconvenience for the passenger when connections get missed.

During this process we found out that 15 of the New York passengers on the first leg were Nashville bound and all of them, like us, missed their connection in BWI.

Fortunately we were the last two passengers to get on the flight to Nashville. It was about 30 minutes late departing because it had arrived late into BWI due to weather in the Northeast.  

While boarding we walked by several very frustrated Nashville bound New Yorkers who were not so lucky.

Arriving into Nashville and retrieving bags, we were out of the Nashville Airport about 630pm. The drive home from BNA is about an hour for me so the door to door travel time from the hotel in Norwalk to the house was 13.5 hours.

On the GPS navigator that trip door to door is about 900 miles driving. Based on the drive miles we averaged 70 miles per hour door to door.

I have no complaints about Southwest Airlines. Their service was good as always. They don’t control weather and air traffic flow. The gate agents did an excellent job handling the passengers, some who were not so pleasant.  

My story could be told by millions of travelers. It happens every day in the system. All you need is a little rain and low cloud ceilings in the Northeast  and the log jam begins. It doesn’t unwind until the last aircraft hit their overnight destinations.

We have a Cirrus SR-22 available to us to fly for business. Had we taken the Cirrus we could have reduced that hotel to home travel time down to about 6.5 hours. This doesn’t account for the fact that we could have done the whole trip in two days instead of three by flying on our own schedule.

Next time I think I will fly myself and spend a few dollars more on using the Cirrus than the cost of airline tickets and the exrta hotel.

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Being Australian, July 4^th was more about fireworks and grilling out than commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, as Americans do each year.   But as of now, Independence Day is exactly that for me.  It’s the day I took my first solo flight in the Katana DA-20.  It’s the day I independently flew an airplane, solo.  It’s a day I will never forget.

I wasn’t one of those people who grew up dreaming of flying.  I am just a girl who found herself one day working in the field of aviation.  Each and every day I would look out of my office window (which overlooks the ramp at KMQY) and see a multitude of large and small airplanes taxi up and park in front of my wall of glass windows.  It was bound to happen one day…..the day I decided I wanted to fly one.

It has not been an easy journey for me, getting to the stage of soloing.  I’ve had to overcome some discomfort of learning maneuvers which had me feeling as though I was about to fall out of the sky.  I didn’t.  I’ve had to bring an airplane down to land, fishtailing down the runway and trying to get it back on the center line.  But I got it down.  I’ve had to make myself put my head in the books when everyone else was out enjoying the gorgeous Tennessee weather.  And I’ve had to overcome the fear of flying the Katana without my instructor Kirk in the right seat, there to assist if needed.

I knew I was going to be soloing on Sunday the 4^th of July.  I made sure I was there early so the air was smooth and free of “bumps”, so the winds were calm, and I could just concentrate on flying the pattern and bringing her down for nice soft landings.  I thought I would have been more nervous.  I was much more nervous the weeks before when I knew my solo was coming up.  But honestly, on the day, while driving my car to the airport, I was relaxed and excited.  I was even singing in the car as my favorite song came on.  It was definitely the day!  I was feeling good.

So, Kirk and I took off and flew around in the pattern for three touch and goes.  All fine.  None messy, so that was a good sign.  He then told me to taxi and park in front of the FBO.  That was it!  That was the queue that I was about to do this all on my own.  I didn’t really even say much, I just pulled up and halfway heard him say to go and do three take offs and landings.  I was thinking about everything I’ve learnt, and how I have to do everything just as I had done many times before.  So I did.

When the wheels left the ground on my first takeoff, there was no going back.  I just kept talking my way through everything I needed to do.  “Pitch for 65….pitch for 65….flaps out….pitch for 75……right turn out…..power back at 1500ft….”.  And everything just happened as it was supposed to.   My first two landings were fine.  Not perfect, but pretty darn good.  Coming in for my third I was thinking I was going to nail it.  Three great landings on my solo flight!  Um, well, I was coming in a little fast, landed, then bounced back up to fly for a little more.  “Ok, power’s on idle right?  Yep.  Ok, well, just flare again Rachel”,  I told myself as I came back down onto the runway.  My third landing wasn’t so hot, but I didn’t care.  I’d just done something which only weeks earlier I thought I’d never do without Kirk being beside me.  It’s quite liberating, and for all the times I thought I couldn’t do, I was elated to have just proven to myself that I could.  I was proud of myself, and even happy to have Kirk cut the back out of my t-shirt (an American flying tradition).  It meant I was one step closer to being part of the club.  A pilot.   

I was told the other day that it’s all downhill from the solo.  NO WAY.  There’s still so much more.  There’s the solo cross-country, the 10 takeoff and landings at night (the first one of those was not so hot), the written test and the check ride.  Sigh…..I guess there’s a few more blogs coming then, eh?

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So is there a typical trip in business aviation? Not really.  But they do all share a common demoninator: trips using business jets save time over other modes of travel.

I was able to experience this again first hand last week, when our CFO, VP of Maintenance and I took one of our aircraft to go see a good client and friend in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  As we planned the trip, we looked at the options of how to best get there. Our options included driving,  an airline flight out of Nashville and connecting through Dallas, or taking one of our aircraft. By car, our travel time would have been about nine hours.  By airline, it would have been about four and a half hours.  In either case, the trip would have required us to stay overnight to make our meeting times.  The airfare on the airlines is between $1100 and $1300 per person round trip; so, three of us could have cost close to $4000, or about $4400, including hotel rooms and additional meals. Nashville to Fayetteville is not a low fare market.   

We have access to our charter aircraft and small flight school aircraft that I can pilot; so, we even had to decide which aircraft to take if we chose to fly ourselves. In a Cirrus, the flight would be tow hours, thirty minutes, while in a twin-engine turboprop the flight time would be an hour, fifty minutes.  Because the Cirrus was not available, we scheduled the turborop.  

We departed at 6:35am which meant I had to get to the airport at 6:20 - no early arrival required and the plane would not have left without me had I been a few minutes late.

We arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at 8:30 am. Our client picked us up at the airport and we drove to his office, about ten minutes away. After a two hour meeting covering a wide range of business issues,  we drove to look at the other airports in the region. We took a little time to stop off at a legendary local restaurant, Herman’s, and enjoy a plate of their famous ribs. After lunch, it was time to go home; so, with business concluded, we were back on the aircraft at 1:30 pm and back in the office at Smyrna at 3:30 pm. We had accomplished a fill day of business on the road and arrived home with a couple of hours left in the day to wrap up more issues.

Our two hours in the aircraft each way provided the additional benefit of discreet and secluded time with my colleagues to catch up on issues of the day. A lot of business gets done in the secluded cabin of business aircraft.  

The day after the trip I was back in the office, rested from a night’s sleep in my own bed, and ready to take on the world again – certainly not the same feeling I have after two or three days on the road shuffling though the airline system.

These type trips happen thousands of times every day in this country; but, when I experience it myself, I am reminded again what business aviation is all about.  The rate on the Cirrus would have been $2800.00, saving us $1600.00.  The rate on the turbo-prop to a retail customer would have been about $5200.00.  With the savings or with the extra $800.00, we gained a full day in the office for three senior executives who were well-rested and productive upon our return.  That extra day is worth it at twice the price.

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I’ve been flying the Katana DA20 for about 17 hours now, and I finally feel as though I have gotten over the hump of the directional control issues I was having due to the differential braking steering on the airplane.  It hit me one day when I was explaining to a colleague that I was pushing on the right rudder pedal as though I were applying brakes on a car.  I’ve been driving for 19 years, so I obviously know you have to apply the brakes gently.  Not so with rudder pedals on an airplane.  It’s an even pressure, but it is HARD pressure, especially when the rudder becomes more effective with increased speed.

During each and every take-off my instructor Kirk was telling me “right rudder, right rudder!”, with my response of “I am, I am!”.  Well, I was, but it was too gentle pressure.  Thankfully, after a few swirly take-offs, it has now clicked in my head about the amount of right rudder  I need to apply in order to maintain directional control on the runway roll and landing roll out.  (The right rudder is to counteract the left turning tendency in an airplane due to the torque of the engine and a number of other factors).  I’ve also overcome my fear of talking on the radio, unusual attitudes, and power on stalls.  I feel as though I am getting over the humps that always seem to appear on the  road to achieving a goal.   But the end result wouldn’t be so sweet if it were easy, right?  And like everything, the more you do it, the better you become. 

I like this quote by Cardinal Newman – “A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done.”

So, where am I at now?  After a successful stage check ride with another instructor today, I realized I’m past the hurdles which were nicely set up in front of me, and now ready to tackle my next.  My solo flight.

I’m almost certain that the next blog you read of mine will be of my solo flight.  Stay tuned. 

In the meantime, here’s a video of me flying the pattern and landing at MQY (Smyrna, TN) with my instructor Kirk. 

Want to learn to fly?  Wings of Eagles (MQY)  and Wings of Eagles, JWN

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“Group Buying” was an idea that first surfaced during the “dot com” boom and ultimately failed to build any momentum.  The idea is again gaining popularity in the era of social media where scalability can be introduced as aggregation cost diminish on applications such as Facebook and Twitter.

Ditch the gatekeeper, axe the marketers, lose the spam.

My first reaction is to find the most unsavory business transactions today and eliminate all the unnecessary middle men and their costs, gateways, noise pollution, and inefficiencies.

Why can’t there be one cell phone store where I can buy anything for any mobile device? Why do I have to pay to use my credit card and pay to not use my credit card? Why am I still treated like a terrorist precisely when I am doing everything that I can to avoid terrorists?

There are some glimmers on the horizon.

Applications such as SocialBuy, Groupon, and Living Social, use their social media platforms that offer vouchers for steep discounts on a variety of goods, once a minimum threshold of consumers is reached.  People have an economic incentive to promote products in their social network (on Facebook and Twitter) in order to reach those thresholds more rapidly and consistently.

Product Networks?

Suppose the group buying experience could aggregate packages of products.  Strategic products would then be aggregated as  ”A Network of Products” that together increase net value.  Yes, you heard me…a ‘combination of products’ with Twitter followers.  A zip car, a movie ticket, Segway rental, and a dinner coupon could be aggregated into an entertainment / shopping package.

This is not so strange.

Apple’s enduring success is very much a model of commercial social aggregation. Nobody can compete with an iPhone without also offering iTunes, iMovie, iPad, and all the social trappings of the iStore.  Perhaps Google, with its social commercial network can compete resulting in a duopoly.  Group buying can empower the smaller players and bust monopolies in an infinite array of combinations.

Why not air travel?

The door-to-door travel time and social cost to fly between two small cities, say, 500 miles apart using commercial airlines is greater than just driving. There is no other alternative, sans high-speed rail, and the economic result is that the two cities remain small with very little new commerce or diffusion of new ideas that air travel benefits a region.  People just don’t travel much between, say, Omaha NE and Cheyenne, WY.

Yet, small city pairs within 500 miles have strong extended family roots, migration patterns, and social network density.  It would be relatively easy to offer Group Buying on a 20-25 seat private airplane for less than the cost of driving; and in 1/10 the time!

The travel package could include ground transportation, shopping coupons, and maybe even a A zip car, a movie ticket, Segway rental, and a dinner coupon could be aggregated into an entertainment / shopping package.

Every small city economic development agency in the country should be in this business of building social networks and matching them with product networks between other small city pairs…

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When I was in the Army, I spent most of one summer in the rainy northwest, specifically Fort Lewis, Washington.  For a boy from Mississippi, this was the farthest from home I had ever been.  It was a bit of an adventure and the memory of my time there is punctuated with visions of rain (loads of it), long marches, Blackhawk helicopters, insane numbers of push-ups, and a sergeant who seemed to have it in for me.  While many of the faces and details have faded from memory, I can’t forget the “Cattle Cars”.

These were troop transporters that made a plain yellow school bus seem like a limousine.  Their only function was to get you from A to B without being hurt.  You usually rode standing up and packed in so tightly that, if you had equipment on, there was hardly room to shift your weight.  They’d pack us in with a shoehorn and then move us to our training site. We’d pile out at our destination simply relieved to have fresh air.  The label “Cattle Car” was well deserved!

Airline travel today is a lot like riding in those cattle cars.  You’re relieved to: a) be at your destination, because b) it means you can get off the plane and out of the system.

In his book The E-Myth Enterprise , business guru Michael Gerber talks about a number of characteristics that give a business that “extra” that brings real and lasting success.  One principle in particular that stood out to me was  “Service in an incomplete word.”  His point is that service has to be part of a larger view of success.  It must be grounded in a company that is healthy, innovative, stable, and profitable.  In short, that frees a business to turn the focus to the customer.  Could this be one reason service is so lacking with airline travel?

Service?  Airlines?  Those words don’t even seem like they belong in the same sentence.  We’ve come a long way since the photo at left was snapped on an airliner in the 1950’s.  At every turn, customer service continues to be reduced.  Meals went to sandwiches, which went to peanuts, which went to you-pay-for-it, which finally went to “No, you can’t have the entire can of coke”.   Baggage went from one checked to one carry on, to well, “you pay for it”.  Exit rows went from “We need people to sit here in the event of an emergency”  to, yep, “You pay for it.” 

Customer service?  Right. 

A 2009 article from Time Magazine reported that trying to find someone to talk with in customer service has become virtually a losing game.  Delta, United, and American don’t even have a customer service number.  When the Time magazine author asked to lodge a complaint about poor customer service  he was told in no uncertain terms that there wasn’t a customer support number, but that he could send an email.  When he tried to send the email he received a message that said, “We are sorry but this service is unavailable at this time. Please try again later.”  The article concludes, “The major carriers have, quietly, made it steadily more difficult to air your complaints to a live human being…”  

Or consider the damning success of a video created by musician Dave Carroll of the band Sons Of Maxwell.  He and other passengers witnessed United baggage handlers throwing his guitar on the tarmac as it was being loaded.  The Taylor Guitar was broken (not just any guitar, but a Taylor…a shame) and after a year of getting absolutely no resolution whatsoever, he told United Airlines he’d write a song about it.  He did and it became a youtube phenomenon getting more than 8.5 million views on the first of a three-song trilogy on the event.   Dave Carroll also was interviewed on CNN, CBS and other national outlets. (Still think social media isn’t changing the landscape?)  It’s worth a watch: 

Back to Michael Gerber and the E-Myth Enterprise.  It’s not all about simply emphasizing customer service, it’s about creating a company that is healthy and a corporate climate that understands people.  Gerber observes, “There can be no such thing as customer service in a company where the employees are disenchanted, where the owners aren’t making a decent profit and where the suppliers aren’t getting paid on time.”

People are disenchanted, frustrated and even angry at what they are forced to endure when they fly in the airline system. 

Great!  This disenchantment, frustration and anger creates opportunity.  There is an opportunity out there for someone, some company to find a way to make air travel work– from the consumer’s as well as the business’s perspective.   The most obvious candidate for this will be vast charter network of companies that are still small enough to care, still nimble enough to be proactive, and instilled with a deep desire to to something great.

How about airline customer service?  I’d even settle for customer awareness!  Otherwise I’m just one more head in the cattle car.

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